2018 Toyota Rush 5-Seater Technology and Safety Review

Like any other car in the Toyota lineup, the Japanese marque made the 2018 Rush with the aim to keep the driver and passengers safe throughout their journey. This gave the entry-level SUV a perfect 5-Star ASEAN NCAP rating, outscoring its greatest rival, the Mitsubishi Xpander.

The Toyota Rush's main strengths are the features designed to aid when needed, meaning, it has the most safety features even for its entry-level variants – a fact that should be one of the prime considerations of car buyers. It's an entry-level SUV that’s targeted towards those who want to own an SUV in the Philippines, but don’t want to cross the P1.5-million price point.

In the cabin, the Rush is quite far from what the Fortuner or even the RAV4 can offer: yellow dome lights, non-lit vanity mirrors for the driver and front passenger, manual headlights and wipers, and manual seat adjusters.

Still, at its price point, it has LED headlights and taillights that illuminate very well as is good-looking. There’s no separate button for the electronic door locks but they’re speed-sensing so you’re pretty much covered. It also has one-touch lane changer that is sometimes overlooked but is actually pretty convenient.

The Rush also has a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen head unit that plays CDs. Though this infotainment system doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, it does connect seamlessly to smartphones via Bluetooth, while Apple users have the luxury to play music via USB. Hands-free phone calls are also loud and clear as tested. One tiny bit of a qualm, though – the USB port embedded within the head unit charges the phone slowly, so you would be better off using a standard USB car charging accessory.

With these efforts put into adding driver-assistive features of things that actually matter, I just wish Toyota have added this: cruise control. While it is true that cruise controls are useless within the limits of the city, I personally think that having this feature on long drives would be very convenient.

As I’ve mentioned, it seems like Toyota made safety its top priority with the cars it released this year. Six airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX child seat tethers, and Vehicle Stability Control – all these things are present down to the most affordable manual variant. The latter is something to rave about because it has Hill Start Assist, which works perfectly well even on steep ramps, as well as Traction Control and Emergency Stop Signal.

Another safety gem inside the Rush is its feature that disables your smartphone’s keyboard if it’s connected to the infotainment system via Bluetooth. This would prevent you from texting while driving, which is not only dangerous but illegal as well. There’s a seatbelt indicator for every passenger, too, but the audible alert engages for the front passenger only.

The airbags, on the other hand, are found all over the Rush’s cabin: driver, front passenger, two sides, and two curtains. These things are passive, meaning they won’t actively make you happy that they’re included in the car. However, during accidents, these could mean the difference between saving yours and your passengers’ lives or losing them all.